#84 Neuroscientist Ranks Every Drug By How Hard They Are to Quit! Tier List Part 2

Jan 8, 2026

Professor David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist and former UK chief drug adviser, ranks a variety of drugs by their withdrawal risks. He reveals surprising insights about benzodiazepines, noting their dangers compared to heroin. The conversation shifts to ayahuasca and DMT, discussing their pharmacologies and therapeutic potentials. Nutt also tackles the relative safety of vaping versus smoking and debates the contentious role of kratom in medicine. Learn about caffeine’s risks at high doses and the unintended consequences of nitrous oxide bans.

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ANECDOTE

WWII Amphetamines Shaped Armies

David Nutt recounts that amphetamine sulfate helped Allied troops in WWII stay alert and then sleep afterwards.
He contrasts that with methamphetamine, used by Germans, causing prolonged wakefulness and psychosis.

ADVICE

Switch To Regulated Vaping Over Smoking

If you smoke, switch to regulated vaping rather than cigarettes to dramatically lower harm.
Use medical-quality, regulated vape products and avoid black-market cartridges.

INSIGHT

Kratom Sits Between Opioids And Stimulants

Kratom acts as a weak opioid and noradrenaline modulator, giving both analgesic and stimulant-like effects.
It can help some people reduce opioid use but carries dependence risk and needs regulation.

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Professor David Nutt is a neuropsychopharmacologist, former UK chief drug adviser, and author of Drugs Without the Hot Air, Drink?, Cannabis, and Psychedelics. He built the first evidence-based Drug Harm Scale, ran the world’s first LSD brain-scan, and is now engineering hangover-free “alcohol” with GABA science.

After the first drug tier list sparked an overwhelming response, this round two episode goes deeper. In this rapid-fire sequel, Nutt ranks twelve more drugs on the same harm scale, responding directly to audience feedback and tackling substances that viewers demanded we cover. From benzodiazepines and methamphetamine to vaping, ayahuasca, kratom, 2C-B, caffeine, and nitrous oxide, this episode exposes how dose, context, purity, and policy shape real-world risk far more than headlines ever admit.

Expect to learn why benzodiazepine withdrawal can be more dangerous than heroin, how meth differs from “speed” at the molecular and historical level, why vaping nicotine is dramatically safer than smoking, how ayahuasca works as indigenous polypharmacy, what we actually know (and don’t know) about endogenous DMT, why kratom sits between medicine and dependence, how edible cannabis changes overdose risk, why nitrous oxide bans backfire, where 2C-B sits between MDMA and psychedelics, why caffeine can induce seizures at high doses, and how harm reduction consistently beats prohibition when it comes to saving lives.

Timestamps:

01:00 Benzos

14:45 DMT & Ayahuasca

32:23 Meth & Speed

45:47 Nicotine Vapes

52:28 Kratom

55:40 Sentia

58:07 Edible Cannabis

01:06:26 Caffeine

01:09:35 2-CB

01:19:46 Nitrous Oxide ...

Buy Nutt's Books

Drink?: The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health: https://amzn.to/4dZTP9Z

Psychedelics: The Revolutionary Drugs That Could Change Your Life―A Guide from the Expert: https://amzn.to/3SJXAX6

Drugs without the hot air: Making sense of legal and illegal drugs: https://amzn.to/4kyu7eS

Cannabis (Seeing Through the Smoke): The New Science of Cannabis and Your Health: https://amzn.to/3FOiLo2

Check out the amazing work of Drug Science (Dr David Nutt's Charity)

Website - https://www.drugscience.org.uk/Prof Nutt Twitter (X) - @ProfDavidNutt

Drug Science Socials

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More Resources on Drug Safety

Medical Cannabis: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/medical-cannabis-working-group

Medical Psychedelics: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/medical-psychedelics-working-group

Harm Reduction: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/enhanced-harm-reduction-working-group

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